The Decade of Woe, Part One
by Kyle-Linkin-Slytherin
Summary: In a world where the realities of war are closing in on our heros, Harry and Draco must learn to love and trust each other as the wizarding world is preparing to enter a ten year struggle for dommance between three factions: The Ministry, The Deatheaters
1. Destiny at the Door

Authors Notes and Disclaimers:

A/n First off I would like to say that I will not be putting in comments from my reviews at the beginning of each chapter, My chapters are usually long and that would take up too much kb. If you do review I might respond to your review personally in email if you provide me that information, Do Not provide me with any personal information in you review, because I'm frankly not interested in it.

This Fanfic Contains Violence, and some slashy scenes, if you do not like slash then don't read this fic. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Canon Characters of the Harry Potter world, but if you feel the need to sue me go ahead you might get two pence for your trouble.

Chapter One: Destiny at the Door.

It was a crisp night for July, so cool that in the little suburban house on Privet Drive all the windows were shut save one. In the room where that lone window was open a boy of sixteen sat at his desk scribbling with a quill pen, that boy was none other than Harry Potter. As the time started to close in on about midnight Harry began to await his Birthday presents, without fail each year they had arrived by owl about this time. Midnight came and went with only Headwig arriving with a dead mouse, and much to Harry's dismay only a dead mouse.

The time neared one o'clock in the morning, Harry who was steadily growing impatient he needed to relax. He lit a Salem cigarette and started to get on with his potions holiday course work. But try as he might he just couldn't concentrate, anger, and sadness, guilt and anxiety coursed through him all at the same time—it took all his strength to hold himself together, to keep from cracking up. The suddenly a large red eagle owl appeared at the ledge of the window; Harry thought he recognized the owl from somewhere but he wasn't sure where. The owl screeched and held out its right leg to expose a large packet of letters. Harry took this packet and undid the ribbon. There was a letter from the ministry, and private letter to him, he opened the private letter first, noticing there was no name as to whom it was from on the envelope.

Harry,

Sirius has provided for you a guardian until the time you come of age. He shall arrive at your uncle's house tomorrow at noon. You are to have your positions and school materials ready for transport then. Included in this letter is your portkey. You will be transported by this portkey at exactly five minutes past twelve-noon tomorrow. Your guardian shall have further instructions for you.

Yours truly,

_Albus Dumbledore._

Harry found a small coin in the envelope; it looked like a DA medallion that Hermione had made last year. He pocketed it. Then Harry turned his attention to the Ministry letter.

Ministry of Magic 

London England

Desk of Ordinary Wizarding Level.

Edwin R. Goodenbook, Exams Supervisor.

Mr. Harry James Potter, Esq.

It is our pleasure to inform you that you have received Outanding marks in the following courses:

Potions

Defence against the Dark Arts

Charms and Curses

Herbology

Care of Magical Creatures

Astronomy.

It is also our pleasure to inform you that you have received the mark of Exceeds Expectations in: Transfiguration.

You have been approved by the Ministry of Magical Education to take the Predatory Courses for would-be Aurors.

Good Luck,

Edwin R. Goodenbook.

Edwin R. Goodenbook

Exams Supervisor.

Relieved that at least Dumbledore and the Ministry still knew he was alive Harry went to give the delivery owl a treat when the thing screeched loudly at him and pulled yet an other letter from under her right wing.... as if this letter had been concealed. It was written on fine silver coloured parchment with green ink. Harry opened this final letter knowing who ever wrote this one took lengths to conceal it.

Potter,

Shit, I'm not good at this but look, I'm sorry for being such a git over the years. I kind of know what it must be like to be you I guess, now that Voldemort has killed my Mother as well. I have no family now save my Half-brother and Godfather.

I can't go into detail here, there is a war on and the post isn't safe, even if my own owl delivers it. But, Potter, I do wish to extend a truce.

Yours,

D.

Then suddenly it downed on Harry where he ad seen that owl before, it was Draco Malfoy's Owl!!! But why would Dumbledore use Malfoy's owl? Unless Snape was the one who was coming to collect him. That must be it Harry thought. Snape was named his guardian, he wasn't Harry's first choice by a long shot but he was loyal to the order that was for sure.

Harry went to give the Delivery Owl a treat but it had already gone. Harry closed the window as the temperature was diminishing and he was ready to try to sleep.

Little did he know that destiny was going to knock on the door of number four Privet Drive.

At that same hour at 12 Grimauld place: Draco Malfoy was pacing the threadbare carpet of the drawing room floor. Seated in that same room was Severus Snape.

"Sev, I don't get it, of all people, Potter!" Draco said furiously as he removed a Dunhill cigarette from its pack and lit it.

"What you think this my Idea of a joyous pleasure? Do you think I shall enjoy being his guardian? If you do you are seriously mistaken Draco, Black did it out of punishment. That fucking Gryffindor bastard." Snape spat.

"My Mother's brother you mean?" Draco asked dryly.

"I wish you wouldn't smoke those bloody things they smell like shit. Anyway yes him. So you might as well make the best of it Drake, there is a war on and everyone is suffering." Snape said flatly. Then he rose and swished out of the room to avoid the smell of Drano's burning cigarette.

When Malfoy had finished smoking his cigarette he threw the tip into the fireplace. Well, he thought, at least with father gone I can give up the play act and start acting like myself.

Draco was about to leave the drawing room when he heard a crash at the front door. This startled the portrait of Mother Black who began to scream epithets and swear profusely. Draco turned to face her, "Silence you old Bitch." He pulled out his wand and cast a spell "Incindo Specificorum" he said and the portrait was consumed in a brilliant red fire and then extinguished itself into a small pile of ash on the mantle, the wall and other objects completely unharmed.

Draco Pressed himself to the door, if Snape caught him actively spying he would make him wish he hadn't. He couldn't hear anything except mumbles but Draco figured if it was any of his business he would find out about it at the meeting tomorrow night.

Draco knew that soon Destiny would knock on the door.


	2. somethings old somethings new

Disclaimers and Such: I do not own Harry Potter and such and other blah blah blah. If you feel the Need to sue me please by all means go ahead, as I have No money what so ever you would be wasting your time.

Warning: This Fic Contains Slashy elements and a good deal of violence, it was rated R for a reason you know. If you do not like such material then do not read my fic.

Chapter Two: Something's Old, Something's New

In the little house on Privet drive, Harry was busy getting his materials together: his firebolt, his trunk, quills, parchment, inks and books. While he was doing this all hell was breaking out in the kitchen, Uncle Vernon was ripping his moustache out over Headwig being in the front parlour. Dudley was whining over his most recent diet, again. And the Squib was being her usual bitter self. Harry was glad that he was leaving here, leaving here for good, as he would be of age almost by the time school was over this year. Never again would he have to see the pathetic excuses for human beings that had tormented him his entire childhood, and that was final, Voldemort or not.

Harry hauled all his kit down to the front parlour of the house to await the arrival of his escort to Order headquarters. At that very Instant Uncle Vernon burst into a revived fit of thunderous rage.

"GODDAMNED BLOODY PESTS! BOY! GET! IN! HERE!" Vernon shouted in such a tone that Harry was certain that Mrs. Next-door's windows were rattling from the volume.

Entering the kitchen he saw that the Daily Prophet owl had arrived with his newspaper and was pecking Vernon on the back of his fat head.

"Get Rid of This Fucking Bird!!" Vernon shouted at Harry.

"Fine, fine," Harry removed a five knut piece from his pocket and slipped it into the owl's purse. That instant the bird flew out of the house, much to Vernon's relief.

"You just wait boy! When you're of age out that door you go!" Vernon bellowed at Harry as Petunia sloshed tea on herself in startle-ment.

"Well, then you wont have to wait much longer, My Godfather is coming to collect me. Maybe I should convince him to turn you lot into fruit bats." Harry retorted with a malfoyian smirk.

"I-Is he coming the normal way?" Vernon asked worriedly.

"Oh, I hope not seeing as he has already provided me a means of leaving." Harry said coolly, "Besides I have a paper to read." Harry grabbed up the Prophet and a cup of tea and went onto the back porch.

Harry lit a cigarette out there and began to read the Headlines.

Death Eaters Attack Ministry Official in Southwark.

Ministry Officials Killed in Surry

Narcissa Malfoy Killed in Attack in Wiltshire.

Harry read through these foul pieces of news only to find out that Percy Weasley was the person murdered in Southwark, London. Bill and Arthur Weasley were attacked by presumably death eaters in Epsom, Surry some five miles away and were pronounced dead at St. Mungo's early this morning.

'Damn' Harry Thought, 'that cuts the Weasley clan in half.' Finally he came to the article that captured the most of his attention.

Marlborough, Wiltshire—(WP)

Story by Rita Skeeter.

Narcissa Black Malfoy was horribly executed by a group of death eaters. Magical Law Enforcement hasn't commented on any details yet. However, Allister, "Mad-Eye", Moody, Chief Auror for the England South West District said he believed that You-Know-Who might be purging the faction of presumed spies.

Lucius Sejanus Malfoy the victim's spouse and convicted death eater was reached for comment at Azkaban Prison: he said "Too Damn bad that traitorous cur of a some of hers wasn't also Explitive Deleted slain with her."

Current rumours have that Draco Justinian Malfoy, Heir of the Black-Malfoy Estate, is in France. This reporter was unable to reach him for comment.

'Well,' Harry Thought, 'what a little coward, He had to run to France.' Harry finished reading his paper and drinking his tea. By that time it was fifteen minutes to twelve-noon, just as he was entering the house through the back door he heard a loud pop, and then a scream that was unmistakeably Aunt Petunia's.

Rushing inside, Harry saw none other than Severus Snape standing on the kitchen table. He was wearing a pair of black woollen trousers, a snugly fitting silk shirt and his Slytherin House tie. Snape turned his head to look directly at Harry.

"Potter, I trust your materials are ready." Snape said.

"You! You aren't the boy's godfather?!?" Vernon bellowed at the Professor.

Snape Glanced at the morbidly obese muggle. "I wasn't aware that you bothered to care." Snape hissed as he twitched his wand in a threating manner, with his left hand. Dudley who assumed that a curse was coming his way grabbed his fat arse and squealed like a pig from the room, while Petunia fainted from shock.

"Now look here!" Vernon started to yell, his face the colour of an over-ripe beet. He was quickly silenced by Snape's wand.

"Silence is golden, muggle." Snape taunted as Vernon was visibly trying to yell but no sound was coming from him. Snape dismounted from the table kicking over a chair and the tea service in the process.

"He wont is like that permanently will he, sir?" Harry asked.

"No, unfortunately not, but she should be very quiet for an hour or so." Snape smirked, "tell me where are your things?"

"Right in here, Sir." Harry said leading Snape to the front parlour.

Finally when the two wizards were there Harry just had to ask an obvious question. "Sir, How are we going to transport my things I'm still under-age and there isn't a Floo Connection."

"Thank you for stating the obvious potter. You shouldn't hang about with Granger so much. I don't care much for know-it-alls." Snape hissed.

Then pointing his wand Snape made a complicated transportation spell with an incantation that had about twenty words in it. The trunk, Headwig, Harry's Broom, everything disappeared in a shower of rainbow sparks.

"How-d?" Harry started to ask, when Snape cut him off, "Complex Teleportation spells—Charms N.E.W.T. level 2 or your seventh year, Potter. Do you have the Portkey?"

"Yes, sir." Harry Said.

"Good, grab it now." Snape said.

Harry slid his hand into his pocket and grabbed the coin like portkey and instantly he felt the familiar jerk behind his navel as he was washed in a sea of colours. Just when Harry felt as if he were going to be sick he landed with a thump onto threadbare carpet. He recognized this carpet it was the carpet that was in the Drawing room of 12 Grimauld Place, Sirius' home.

The room was dimly lit and it took a moment for Harry's eyes to adjust. Then an instant later Harry heard a loud pop as Severus Snape Apperated into the room. He quickly left though bluntly saying to Harry that he had more important business to attend to. Looking about the room Harry saw his broom trunk and things in the far corner of the room and seated at the writing desk was a blonde young man, with his back turned toward Harry, a thin wisp of tobacco smoke rising from the cigarette in his right hand. Harry hesitated a moment, who was this young man?

"Welcome, home Potter," the young man drawled in a distinct Wiltshire accent. Harry knew then that only one person the young man could be: Draco Malfoy.

"Malfoy?" Harry said trying to sound puzzled.

"The only one left potter," Draco said, swivelling the chair to face Harry. "I trust your trip went well." Draco said. It was then that Harry noticed Draco was cradling a sleeping toddler. "Please forgive me, this is Septimus Snape, my half-brother." Draco said. Harry just stood there in an expression of shock.

"Um-er, Why are you here?" Harry said quietly, as if to wake the sleeping child.

"Waiting to go to Hogwarts, Like you. You could say that Dumbledore has us both in safe Keeping." Draco drawled as he rose to place the child on the sofa, after extinguishing his cigarette. "Malfoy Manor, indeed all of Wiltshire isn't safe for me anymore." Draco said.

Harry looked at Draco in amazement. "I'm not a muggle or a fool, Potter, I was making Polyjuice Potion myself by third year." Draco said. Continuing, "Did you think I just ignored Sev-er-Professor Snape when he lets things 'slip' in class? No that's how he know who is worthy of his N.E.W.T. courses."

"But I thought," Harry started.

"But you shouldn't think that you know me. Only three people ever have known me, the real me, and two are in this Manor now. The other-the-other," Draco tried to finish but couldn't as he had begun to cry. "The other has passed into the arms of Salazar." Harry was silent for a moment here was a Draco Malfoy that Harry didn't know, not the swaggering son of a Death Eater, but rather a boy who was upset over losing his mother. Draco Continued on, "Look being the son of a Death Eater has its prices, I only acted like such an ass to you to keep Him from knowing I wasn't on Voldemort's side."

Finally Harry spoke, "Lucius Malfoy, you mean?"

"Yes," Draco said tears now running down his face, "to keep him thinking that I was going to be his perfect Death Eater son. He didn't count on the fact that my Mother didn't raise me to be that way."

"Malfoy --" Harry started.

"Don't call me that, I'm not like him anymore." Draco sobbed.

"Um--Draco, then?" Harry said. Draco nodded in agreement to being referred to by his Christian name. "So you are saying that you acted like a total git, for a rouse?" Harry finished.

Draco looked Harry in the eyes, his own red and puffy from the tears he was shedding, "In some ways yes, and in some ways no. It wasn't like I wasn't jealous of you for being the Golden Boy after all."

"I, see." Harry said, his voice for the first time denoting compassion for Draco Malfoy who only recently had been as much a mortal enemy as Voldemort himself.

Draco reached into the collar of his shirt and removed a thin golden chain from around his neck. Attached to that chain was what appeared to be a beautiful pendant, until Draco removed it. This pendant turned out to be two interlocking rings: one silver set with an emerald and the other gold set with a ruby.

"My Mother would have wanted you to have this, it was once your mother's I believe. She led me to believe before she died that they were friends.... well until they got married to a Death Eater and an Auror." Draco said presenting Harry with the ruby and gold ring and then he replaced the silver and emerald one back on the gold chain and replaced it on his neck.

"I don't understand, I thought your lot hated muggleborns." Harry said.

"You're a pureblood Potter, your mother's mother was a Snape, even though she and her husband were squibs that still makes you a pureblood." Draco said.

"I don't understand." Harry said

"I hope this isn't your first time to the Black ancestral home." Draco said.

"It isn't." Harry responded.

"Here, not to sound like a know-it-all, but read this." Draco said handing Harry a book. It was entitled: _Important Wizards of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, and Their Bloodlines._ Regulus Black wrote it.

"This was here in front of me the whole time?" Harry said astonished.

"Yes is was. You should read it Regulus listed your father but died before you were born so I added that information for you." Draco said.

"But why would he ad my Dad?" Harry asked.

"You will see when you read the book, but enough on the past. Can we have a truce between us?" Draco asked.

Harry's head was spinning. He didn't know what to do or say. "I've got to sit down, this is way too much too fast." Harry said as he made his way over to an armchair. He pulled a cigarette from his pack and lit it.

"When you said your behaviour was an act and it wasn't an act; what the hell do you mean by that?" Harry said, taking a large draw off of his cigarette. Draco stood at the window opposite him and tapped out a Dunhill and lit it.

"What I mean is, yes I would have acted like an ass to you anyway, you are after all the golden-boy who snubbed me. It's hard for me to get over grudges. Besides you thought me a brat-prince. Like I had everything I ever wanted in the world. That's not true, I can and do have almost any thing in the world that I want, never a who that I want. Lucius made sure that no one worth having as a friend would want to be mine." Draco said, before taking a very large drawl off of his cigarette.

Harry extinguished his cigarette in a silver dish he assumed to be an ashtray, and then stood to be next to Draco. Draco flinched as Harry made to touch his shoulder. "Draco, why are you flinching? I'm not going to hurt you." Harry said.

"When you live with Him you learn to flinch." Draco said.

"I'm not him. You have your truce, don't betray me though, it will be hell for you if you do." Harry said looking Draco in his eyes, emerald and mercury meeting in a sea of emotion, which both boys were trying to suppress.

"Even Slytherins have honour, P-P-Harry." Draco said, continuing, "don't tell anyone I cried, I don't like my life to be ground up in the rumour mill."

"I understand." Harry said.

Then without realizing it the two of them moved closer together into a tight embrace, an embrace neither wished to break until they heard the voice of Hermione Granger in the hall telling Ron to "hurry up."

Draco looked up at Harry, "Go talk to them. Sev told me that they aren't staying long," he said. Harry nodded and left Draco in the drawing room.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry followed the duo to the room that he and Ron had shared the previous year, apparently they didn't even think of going to the drawing room. Harry crept up the stairs quietly and when he had come to the door, which was closed behind them, he could hear muffled noises of Hermione speaking and Ron doing his usual depression pouts.

"Well, it seems that Harry isn't here yet Ron." the muggleborn said.

"Good," Ron said, "I'm bloody well miserable enough without him dragging me down too."

"Ron," Hermione said in shock, "you shouldn't say things like that. Harry is our friend."

Just then Harry made his move and crept in just as she was admonishing Ron further.

"Hermione, I think that's enough," Harry said quietly.

The two long time friends of Harry Potter turned to see Harry standing there a little dishevelled but otherwise very much in command of the situation.

"Harry um-er he," Hermione began to stutter.

"I think he can speak for himself 'mione." Harry said then turning his head to face Ron, "Well?!"

"H-hh-h" Ron stuttered.

"Harry, his dad and brothers caught it" Hermione said.

"I know that, anyone who reads the Prophet knows that." Harry said Flatly.

Ron continued to stammer like an idiot whose tongue was stolen by the proverbial cat.

"You two may stay for dinner it is my Birthday after all, but I want you out after dinner. Am I Understood?" Harry said angrily as he left the room.

Betrayal is new to me Harry thought as he made his way down to the kitchen for a cup of tea.


End file.
